Wish Upon a Star
by Animeniac135
Summary: What do you do when everything goes wrong? What do you do when all your dreams fall apart and you can't be with the one you love although you're with them everyday? Who can possibly help you when you've hit rock bottom and you're only going lower?....BXR
1. ProloguePoem

Prologue/ POEM

STORY STARTS ON NEXT CHAPTER!

Here I sit; by the dark book case

Watching the eyes of a dark, blackened face

They shimmer and shine with a mystical light;

Erasing my cares, my needs, and my fright.

Love is an ocean of high, troubled waves;

Shrouded in darkness like long, narrow caves.

But when the start begin to fly by;

I know there's hope; I can see it in your eyes.

So now as I kneel beside your bed

I'll speak the wish I have often said.

Love me bitter or love me sweet.

Your name with be engraved until next time we meet

In my heart of hearts; in the stars high above

For the stars are a sign of my everlasting love.

So when you see the stars fly by;

You know your image is in my minds eye.

Because I count the hours; I count the years

I guess the pain can't stop the endless flow of tears

I cry for you at night and day

And in my dreams I moan, "Please stay."

And when I wake; I open one eye;

But you're not there; so I'll lay down and cry.

I wit outside as the leaves fall and die

Waiting and watching as cars flash by.

It's been a few years, a few months, a few days,

But I still don't see you. Is it because of the haze?

Here by the window I sit again

I look outside and stare at the rain.

It falls like tears form the dark, cloudy skies.

Now I feel the tears as they fall from my eyes.

I sigh and lie back against the cold cobweb covered wall.

Watching and waiting for a bright blue painted car

And the chain license plate the reads, "He'sMyStar"

So I wait and I watch doing all I can do;

Waiting for the day when all my wishes will come true.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We'll keep it simple: "I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or the characters. (but I wish I did. cries)

Chapter 1

Another raindrop fell from the dark, dismal sky. Puddles of those raindrops now surrounded the wooden bench. The brown eyed, snow-haired teen sat there watching as drops of water fell from the branches high above.

He looked up; he could now see the spider webs; like lace surrounding the tree. He looked back down and sighed; this day matched his mood perfectly. The clouds hung over the city; the dank smell of rain still hung in the air, and the muddy puddles laughed at his misery.

He kicked a stone, but in his rage he kicked a puddle; only to have the mud and water splash; covering his already soaked blue pants and his flawless white shirt.

Sighing again he looked down at himself. Bad luck seemed to follow him like a dog followed his master. Only, this was not like the love and the loyalty of a pet, but the sick and twisted mind of the being who controlled his luck. For some reason he or she must have liked to see him in perpetual sorrow.

A rabbit hopped slowly out from under the bench; peeking its head out to ensure safety. His snow white coat was blemished when he hopped into the puddle.

The boy reached down and removed the fragile animal from the sticky, muddy puddle and sat it down on the moist ground. Then without a single glance back the rabbit was gone.

"If only," the boy sighed looking around the vacant park, "If only it was that easy to make you love me." He stopped before the name slipped from his lips. He had kept this a secret from everyone; always keeping a straight face around that person so no one would know. The only person he had told was his best friend.

He sighted and continued, "Why do you hate me?" he asked the still mist. He expected a coarse reply; he had become used to it by now. These replies had been forced to him for years; since his Yami had been separated from his body. He had hoped for a new beginning; like his best friend, Malik, and his Yami. He had hoped for this to be the start of a happily ever after, but after only a few seconds with his dark side; he knew his dreams; his hopes would never come true.

A bright flash of light filled the empty space where three teens stood. All with hopeful eyes; after a second of anxiety and nearly horror three taller forms shaped almost exactly like the three stepped forward out of the smoke.

The tall one with tri-colored hair stepped toward his smaller version and embraced him tight; tears running down his cheeks. Next the dark, Egyptian form stepped in front of his smaller light and whispered, "I love you," to him before kissing his lips gently.

Finally the remaining two members met in the middle one wearing a glorious smile; shining like the sun, but the other wore a smirk.

The shorter stepped forward; hoping to be accepted and embraced, but instead he was shoved back and kicked harshly; it was all decided; they would never be what he wanted.

That had been the worst day of his life; up until then. But from then on; it only became worse.

Ryou looked up at the man above him; his look-alike, his brother, but also his master, his abuser. His white clothes were now crimson red; soaked with his own blood.

He wondered the same thing he did every time this happened. Would Bakura go all the way this time? Would he finally kill Ryou; end the suffering?

Bakura flipped out his pocket knife and knelt in front of the boy quivering in front of him. Blood dropped onto the carpet; it was becoming just as red as his clothes.

A line of water ran through the blood on his face. Tears flew gradually now. When it had started he had tried to keep them down; to be strong for his love, but after many more beatings he could only let it happen as it happened.

"Bakura," he spat out; more blood stained the carpet. He coughed and looked up. Bakura stood still; the blood stained knife still in his hand.

Ryou looked up at him; it was strange; he blinked and looked down. Would it ever end?

Ryou sighed and looked back up at the dismal sky. What was awaiting him at home? He stood and walked to the exit, but stopped for one last look around the park. "I wish," he whispered and walked away slowly. Not even knowing himself what it was he had wished for.

When he reached the front steps to the house he stopped. Should he go in yet?

It was only three o'clock; he had told Bakura he would be home around four. Would coming home early only make that day worse?

He decided to walk up the stone stairs quietly and slowly; Bakura did not need to know he was home yet.

"Ryou." The boy jumped and turned. Could Bakura be behind him?

He let out a deep breath in relief and said, "Malik, you scared me for a second!" He bent over on his knees and sighed.

"Why? Were you afraid I was-?" Malik started, but stopped when he saw the look on his best friend's face.

"Please, Malik, don't make fun of me like that," Ryou said leaning against the front door; "You know my secret; you of all people should know that I want to keep it a secret."

Malik frowned and nodded, "I know, but wouldn't it help if you told one of the others. Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda; even Marik would understand, Ryou." He took a step forward and touched Ryou's shoulder, "Just tell someone, Ryou."

"You know I can't do that, Malik!" Ryou nearly screamed; but covered his mouth afterwards, "Just leave Malik; go home." He frowned and turned walking up the stairs. His fears were now blocked by anger. Anger he felt toward Malik for almost exposing his secret; and anger at himself for not being strong enough to handle it.

He walked through the front door and leaned against the tan wall. Bakura was nowhere in sight. Maybe he was with Marik; Ryou walked to the couch and sat down. He picked up the book on the stand beside the couch and opened it, but stopped and turned when the door opened and heavy footsteps filled the room.


	3. Chapter 2

_**AN. Hello, my few loyal readers!! I'm glad you liked my first chapter. These first few chapters will probably be extremely short, but I'll be sure to make a longer one later…maybe….**_

**_Oh, and even though there are a few of us reading this we will slowly (but surely) make everyone on this website read this! WHO'S WITH ME?!?! silence Ok, fine, I'll do it myself. Hope you enjoy this…_**

Chapter 2

Ryou turned to see the blurry figure walking through the door; the door was slammed shut; and the lights flickered off. Ryou gulped hard; was it Bakura or-?

He felt that figure strike him; he fell to the stained carpet floor and took a deep breath; Bakura had to be home.

"Where is the Thief King?" the figure said in a deep raspy voice. Metal clanked as he moved his hand; he seemed almost Egyptian.

Ryou gulped and looked back up at the man, "What do you want him for?" Ryou asked looking at the door; hoping Bakura would walk through.

The man grabbed Ryou's shirt tightly and forced him to his feet, "You will tell me where he is or I will kill you and find him myself."

The door creaked as it opened slightly; letting a small crack of light into the room, but the one who had opened it did not step in; footsteps faded down the steps and the hope for rescue was gone.

Ryou backed against the table and opened the door; Bakura's pocket knife lay there; blood crusted, but still as sharp as it had been the first time it was used.

"Where is he; you insolent fool?"

Ryou took the knife into his hand and took a slow deep breath, staring up at the man. He knew this could only be finished if he used it against him.

A gruff, demanding voice now came from the man standing stiffly behind the couch, "You will answer me!" He screamed as he reached down to slap the teen sitting on the floor.

With one last look at the knife and one more quick deep breath he closed his eyes and plunged the knife; trying his hardest to keep it in line with the man's chest.

The door opened and a bright light shattered the darkness; a loud voice split the silence, "Ryou!" it did not shriek with fear or protection; it roared with rage.

A sharp piercing pain in Ryou's head forced him back; he looked up expecting to see that the man had hit him, but instead he saw, "Bakura, please, I- I was-." With a cry of pain as Bakura kicked him again; he stayed quiet.

"Shut your mouth!" Bakura yelled and kicked him closer to the hallway, "Get out; we'll talk about your punishment later."

Ryou coughed and sighed; Bakura always said that, but when it came down to it the only words ever spoken before, during, or even after his so called punishments were spoken by the one being punished; calling out his punishers name; wishing it would unfreeze his heavy heart.

"Thief King Bakura," the man chuckled and stepped forward, "It has been far too long since our last meeting."

"Far too long, Mirabi," Bakura laughed, "I apologize for anything he may have done."

Mirabi smiled and chuckled, "Don't worry, it he your so called slave, Theif King?" he asked looking back at the hallway.

Ryou cringed and moved against the wall; sidling away from them he closed his eyes.

"Ryou!" Bakura yelled, "Leave! Get out of the hallway, now!"

Ryou quivered slightly; he did not fear Bakura; or his beatings; he only obeyed him in hopes that it would change him. But by now that was nearly impossible.

He scurried into the room across the hallway and shut the door; he pressed his ear against the door, but only heard their muffled conversation. He moved away and sat against the wall; what would happen after Bakura finished? Where had he been?

The teen twitched; where had Bakura been? He knew it didn't matter much, but he felt like he needed to know. He knew Bakura would go out and drink with Marik, but usually that was late at night. Did they go out sometime earlier that morning?

Shaking his head Ryou licked his chapped lips as he looked around the room. It was a dark room he had never been in before. It felt cold and wet; Ryou stood and felt around on the walls for the light switch, but he had no such thing and sighed as he fell back against something hard. It felt like wood, but it was harder.

He turned and pressed the palms of his hands against the object. It was firm and wooden. He moved his hands around it and finally moved away, it was a small dresser. Ryou looked around in the darkness and squinted trying to find the light switch. He stood and reached up finally feeling a chain that hung down from the ceiling.

Pulling on the chain he shielded his eyes from the bright light and looked around; he had been right. A dresser about as high as his waist stood near the corner of the room; it was wooden and must have been painted black. Ryou crouched next to it and opened the bottom drawer. It was empty. He opened the next drawer up; it was empty as well.

He sighed; maybe he should just stop. He slowly opened the last drawer and gasped when he saw what was in it. Knives, handcuffs, chains, and metal filled the drawer, but one thing was different.

A knife stuck out from everything; it was dark black and it had white letters painted or carved into it, _"Ryou"_. A shiver went down his spine and he picked up the knife. He began to turn it over, but when he heard the door slam he dropped it back into the drawer and pushed it shut.

The door opened and Bakura stepped into the room; narrow eyed. His glare was filled with rage; he grabbed Ryou's wrist and pulled him sharply out the door. "Get in the living room, now!"

Ryou nodded and sighed. _Living room? _He thought, _More like the dying room. _He stood in the corner and looked down at the crimson blotches on the carpet. What did that knife say? He couldn't help but wonder, it was driving him mad already.

A loud crash made him jump and fall backward; he gasped and blinked as his vision became darker and darker until all he could see was a tall figure walking into the room with a heavy object in its hand.

Please Review!! If you do Ryou will love you forever!!!

Ryou: No I won't!

Me: Covers his mouth Yes he will!!

Ryou: Review anyway!!

well, if I needed a disclaimer on this...I don't own any of the characters or anything. lol.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Hello! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! You know; school, homework, stress…Oh and chronic writers block; not a good combination. Well, I think I did well on this chapter. I actually think I put my heart into this. Well I hope you enjoy it! R&R, please!**_

Chapter 3

"Ryou, please!" Malik yelled running down the narrow side walks; pushing through the horde of people, "Listen to me."

Ryou looked back at him; he had a scar down his right cheek and a black, bruise on his shoulder. His clothes were tattered and torn; Bakura had kicked him out the door and slammed the door shut. He knew he couldn't go back in so he started walking into the crowd to nowhere.

"Where are you going to go?" Malik asked reaching for Ryou's wrist, "Are you going to leave?" He pulled Ryou back and blinked; Ryou seemed so distant. Did he hear what he was saying at all? "What happened to you?"

"He happened to me!" Ryou yelled stopping in the middle of the crowd. A woman walked by him shaking her head and scowling at him. He turned back to Malik and gritted his teeth. He had to do something; even if it meant-.

"Ryou? Don't run away, please," Malik started when he saw Yugi and his gang walking down the street. It was nearly clear now. Where had all the people gone? "You- you can't run away! That- that'd be the worst thing you could do."

Ryou looked up at him and narrowed his eyes, "Then you'd rather me kill myself? Is that it?"

"No, no, Ryou, please, just stick it out a-little while longer," Malik said blowing a golden bang behind his ear, "Come on, let's go to the park; it's a perfect day, but first maybe we should take you to the hospital."

Ryou's eyes went wide and he took a deep breath, "No! Not the hospital; they'll ask me what happened; Bakura will hate me! He'll kill me!" He took a step back but stopped when a hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up slowly and stared into muddy brown eyes.

"Hiya, Ryou!"

He moved forward and tripped over a stone; skinning his knee, just another wound to deal with. He sighed and stood slowly.

"What happened ta you?" Ryou turned and sighed, it was Yugi and the rest of his peppy gang. He nearly despised them; they didn't understand; no one did. Jonouchi looked at him for a moment and then said, "Did Bakura did this?"

"W- What?" Ryou asked backing up against the wall he hadn't even noticed until now, "N- no, what gave you that idea?" He tried his best to chuckle, but it only came out as a low groan.

Jonouchi shrugged and stepped back behind Honda, still frowning; he knew. Yugi smiled and took a step toward Ryou, "Come on!" He said in his normal high pitched voice, "We're all going to my grandpa's card shop! We can go and-."

"Um, no thank you, Yugi. Ryou and I have a-little something planned for today, but get back to us next time, ok," Malik said hastily and pulled Ryou into the street, "Come on," He whispered.

"Ok," Ryou groaned and looked back at Jonouchi again. He knew; he had to. Ryou sighed; what would he do if this got out? Bakura would never love him if that happened, in fact he would probably hate him.

"Ryou, calm down," Malik whispered as they passed the roaring cars until their feet landed on the concrete sidewalk. He knew it must have been hard for Ryou to keep it a secret, but he knew it didn't have to be. He should know that he could tell someone else; and worst of all, he couldn't even trust Jonouchi; who knew exactly how he felt. "Jonouchi-."

"Jonouchi makes me so angry," Ryou grumbled as he walked through the tall metal fence surrounding the park, "He acts like he knows how I feel, but how could he?" He walked to the bench he had been sitting on only this morning, and sat down again. He laid his head on his hands and watched as a black bird flew across the sky. Why couldn't he just grow wings and fly away?

"But- but he does, Ryou, his father abuses him. He knows what it's like; but he can handle it because everyone knows now. Don't you think it would be better if you told too?" Malik asked sitting beside him. Why didn't he want anyone to know?

Ryou didn't answer; he stared up at the sky again and sighed. Jonouchi didn't know shit about what he was going through. He could hate his father, but Ryou- Ryou couldn't hate Bakura. That was impossible. He looked at Malik again and sighed, "Jonouchi can hate the person who abuses him, but I can't. I can't hate Bakura; I love him, Malik, and I always will. There's no changing or denying it."

The Egyptian sighed; he didn't know how this felt. He used to be able to connect with Ryou when he would ask him questions about the millennium items and being controlled by another spirit, but he when it came to this; all he could offer was empathy.

He put an arm around Ryou's shoulders and said, "You know I'm here for you, don't you Ryou?" He sighed when Ryou didn't respond. How helpless did he really feel?

"Are you really?" Ryou asked now staring at the still muddy ground; "I only see you every week; sometimes not even that much because you're with Marik all the time. So are you really there?"

"Of course I-," Malik stopped. Was that true? Was that really how Ryou thought of him? He slumped slightly and looked at Ryou out of the corner of his eye, "Ryou, I know I'm busy a lot of the time, but I am here. Whenever you need me don't hesitate to call me."

"But what if you're "busy"?" Ryou asked mockingly as he sat back against the back of the bench. It felt like he was going through hell and no one cared; like he was trapped in the fire with no escape.

Malik waited for Ryou's breath to become steady again and said, "I won't be; for you I'll give up a day with Marik. He's usually with Bakura anyway, please; just don't keep this inside all the time. That's what makes you angry, Ryou; that's what makes you hate the world."

"No!" Ryou yelled standing. He nearly slipped in the mud and fell forward, but a firm hand held him up; he scrambled to his feet and turned, "Marik!" He yelled; "Where is Bakura! Why aren't you with him?"

Marik shook his head and held his hand out to Malik, "Let's go," he said, "It's getting late." He turned away from Ryou and looked at Malik who gestured to Marik in return.

"We were just in the middle of an important conversation, Marik, could you go-," he started but stopped when Ryou began to speak.

"No, go, Malik. We were just finished," he said and began to splash through the ankle-deep puddles back to the entrance of the park.

Malik sighed. Was Ryou destined to live like this? Would he always be in this situation? He watched as Ryou made his way out to the sidewalk and looked up at Marik. "Marik," he began, "I have something to talk to you about."

Ryou twisted the frozen silver handle holding his breath; hoping, praying that Bakura had gone to bed. He stepped into the dark, shadowy room and flipped the light switch. A shadowy figure stood in the hallway; still and quiet.

"Bakura?" he whispered stepping forward on his toes. He could feel his heart jump when said man's icy cold hand wrapped around his wrist. He was pushed against the closed door and held there. "Bakura?"

No response; Bakura stood there holding one of Ryou's hands over his head. Ryou looked down at his other hand; a bottle dropped and shattered when it hit the floor. Red stained the floor, but this time it wasn't blood; it was-.

"Bakura?" Ryou started, "Did you drink again?" His voice went high and his heart moved like he had run a million miles. He felt the other hand hold his only remaining wrist to the door. He turned his face away from Bakura and closed his eyes. Not again.

Bakura breathed; the rank smell of alcohol filled the air. Ryou coughed and struggled against Bakura; it couldn't happen twice in a day. He finally got one of his hands free and pushed the broad man off him. With tears glazing his eyes he ran down the hallway to the room he called his own; the one place he was safe.

He twisted the lock and bolted the door; flipping the light switch; and pressed his back against the wall in the corner sliding down slowly to the floor. Tears broke through the solid wall he had built and ran down his face. It could never happen.

He stood slowly and walked to the window; kneeling in front of it he stared up at the sky. It was already dark; stars lit the dark night sky. He watched closely and blinked when a star shot across the sky; like a flashing light. He closed his eyes and simply whispered, "Make him love me."

He opened his eyes and smiled at the stars as they winked at him. This had been his wish for consecutive nights for almost a year now. He was ready to give up, but knowing that Bakura was still in pain, made him want it even more.

He heard a rustle outside the window and stood scanning the ground outside the window. Nothing. He stepped back and sat on the bed; what could it have been? He jerked when the window opened and a shadowy figure stepped in.

Ryou gasped and fell off the bed; backwards. Rubbing his head he backed up against the wall; trying to get the figure into the light. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.

_**REVIEW FOR ME!! I WANNA KNOW IF IT'S GOOD OR NOT!! PLEASE!! 3! **_

_**P.S. I'm not good with tensed of lay…..so if I messed that up….GOMEN!!! (Sorry!)**_


	5. Chapter 4

**_FINALLY!! My writer's block is gone!! applause Thank you, thank you. lol. I think this was pretty good. I got a surprise for ya in this. I hope you don't think I mad a bad choice in what to do. I don't know if I'm completely satisfied with this chapter; so I might go back and edit it a-little later. Well, I hope it's not that bad. Oh yeah! It's 5 whole pages!!!!(finally; one longer than 4)….ENJOY!!! R&R plz!!_**

Chapter 4

"Jonouchi," Ryou sighed with relief and began to reach for Jonouchi's hand; his strength was gone; the surprise had drained him. He looked up with surprise as Jonouchi pulled his hand back and looked down at Ryou with a malicious glow in his eyes.

"Jonouchi?" Ryou started and backed up against the cold blue wall, "Are you-?" He stopped; a cold hand was placed over his mouth and he was pulled sharply up onto his cold, glassy feet. He felt himself begin to fall backward, but Jonouchi held him up sharply twisting his head from side to side to ensure no one was there.

All he saw was darkness; he smirked and looked down at Ryou. His job was almost complete. He pulled Ryou close to him and took a rope from his back pocket. Ryou tried to punch him, but was rewarded by a cold hand on his wrist slowly bringing it back to join the other behind his back.

"Jonou-," Ryou started, but stopped as a wet cloth was shoved in his mouth. He struggled harshly trying his hardest to get out of Jonouchi's grip, but to no avail.

Jonouchi pulled Ryou back and shoved him out the still open window. He looked back at the door. Bakura could not ruin his plan. He would not let him. Once he was sure it was safe he made his way out the window and shut the window tightly.

Ryou looked up at him from his position on the ground. It was dark and bleak tonight; there was no moon tonight. Ryou looked past Jonouchi's head at the sky; there was one star shining there. Fading slowly form view, but he closed his eyes nonetheless and whispered a wish new to his lips, "Save me, 'Kura."

"Come on," Jonouchi started hauling Ryou up by the collar of his shirt. He pressed something cold and hard against Ryou's back and said in a cold voice, "Walk straight; try to run and I'll make your life a living hell."

Ryou did as he was told and looked down; this was not the Jonouchi he had come to know; not the Jonouchi he had become great friends with. It could not be. He dragged his bare feet through the cold, wet grass until they touched hard cement.

Jonouchi looked down the street both ways; a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "All clear," he started. Ryou was getting it now; he did not want anyone to see. He must not want the police involved. "Walk." The rough, cold voice came again; this time accompanied by a hard shove into the street.

He shivered as his feet touched the wet road. He wondered how far he could go like this. Jonouchi kicked him as he stepped onto the sidewalk; he fell forward onto the hard ground; scrapping his cheek. He could feel the warm flow of blood down his cheek. A feeling he had nearly come accustomed to.

"Get up," Jonouchi started yanking him up and pushing him forward, "Get going or else." He shoved what Ryou now knew was a hard, long stick into Ryou's back; "I'll kill you if you don't hurry!" He said and shoved Ryou forward.

He re-gained his footing and began to walk forward again. He looked up again and sighed. Would Bakura save him?

"Ryou!" A soft voice came through the door and he banged on the door once again. Where was he? "Bakura!" He yelled.

The door opened and a tall figure stepped forward, "Well, what do you want?" Bakura asked harshly.

Malik stepped back and sighed, "Where is Ryou? He was supposed to meet me today. Is he still asleep?" He looked past Bakura and saw that Ryou's door was open; Ryou never slept this late; and he never left his door open.

"I don't know. I woke up and the kid wasn't here," Bakura started.

Malik looked up at him; he could a barely hear it, but there was a slight hint of panic in Bakura's voice. His hair was matted, but not was bad as usual. He was dressed in dark jeans and a white tee shirt. Had he already searched for Ryou? "So, you don't know where he-?"

"No, Malik," Bakura started and shoved him out of the way. He walked across the street stopping three cars in their tracks with his eyes set on one thing; the other side.

"Wait!" Malik yelled, "Where are you going?" He stopped when he realized that Bakura had started running and was now nearly half a mile away from him. He sighed; maybe Yugi would know.

He jumped down the stairs and jogged down the street until he reached the building with a sign that read "Card Shop". He took a deep breath and opened the transparent door; walking in he smiled when Yugi noticed him.

"Malik!" Yugi started prancing over to him, "What are you doing here?" He asked pulling his yami's hand.

"Hi, Yugi; Yami, I just came here to ask if you knew where Ryou is; we can't seem to find him." He looked at them both and sighed to see the confused look on their faces.

Yami put a hand on Yugi's shoulder and said, "We're sorry, Malik, but we haven't seen Ryou since our encounter the other day, but this is a coincidence. We can't seem to find Jonouchi either."

"Really?" Malik asked, looking up at Yami, "But he could be anywhere. Is anyone else missing?" He asked as he looked down at Yugi for the second time.

"We checked with everyone else about Jonouchi; they said they hadn't seen him. We checked at his house, but you know them there. Jonouchi's father doesn't care so he could be anywhere really," Yugi said staring up at Malik, "Do you think this could be something serious, Yami?"

Yami looked down at Yugi and smiled reassuringly; "I'm sure Jonouchi just went out for a walk, Yugi, no need to worry;" He averted his eyes up to Malik, "Same for Ryou." He smiled and said, "Look around, Malik; the first place to look would be-."

Malik nodded, "The park," he turned on his heels and waved to Yugi. He made his way out the door and across the street; turning a corner he sighed. He stopped; something crunched under his foot. He stepped back and picked up what he had stepped on.

"Ryou's angel pin?" He whispered and took a step forward. Ryou had kept a pin in his pocket of an angel for years just to make sure he had a guardian angel with him every second of every day.

Malik squinted and took another step forward. He ran to the park entrance and quickly jerked his head from side to side scanning over the entire park for the missing teen. He sighed; Ryou was not there.

Turning he stopped when he saw Bakura standing behind him; obviously angry. "Hello, Bakura," he nearly sang with nervousness, "What are you here for?" He asked hoping Bakura could not hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Move out of my way, pretty boy," Bakura started pushing past Malik into the park. He sprinted across the wet grass and disappeared into the forest.

Malik stared ahead wondering what had just happened; what was Bakura up to? He looked down at the pin and remembered what he was here to do. He jogged slowly down the street yelling his best friend's name repeatedly.

He was beginning to worry; it had been nearly an hour now. Where could he be? He kept running and yelled one more time.

"So you can't find him either?"

Malik stopped and looked forward. "Oh, Jonouchi!" He started; "the others are looking for you. They seemed worried. Did you go out to look for Ryou too? Wait how did you find out that he was missing?"

Jonouchi shrugged, "I stopped by his house this morning and he wasn't there so I decided I'd try to find him."

"Oh, good," Malik said, "Then let's go get the other's they might be able to help us." He turned and looked back at Jonouchi, "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Jonouchi answered and jogged after Malik through the nearly deserted streets.

"Jonouchi!" Yugi yelled jumping up to hug said boy; "I was so worried about you. Do you know where Ryou is, Jonouchi?" he asked as he fell back on his feet.

"Oh, sorry, Yug; that's where I was. I went out this mornin' to find Ryou, but I couldn't find him. Malik an I were hopin' you guys could help us find him," he said scanning their faces. They were all buying it.

"Sure," Yugi said, "We'll all help, right guys!" He looked back at them all. They nodded. "Then let's go."

The six of them scurried out the door and Malik followed, but stopped. There sat Bakura on the bench beside the card store. Why was he appearing everywhere? But this time he sat there with Marik.

Malik looked down and walked over to the bench, "Bakura," he started looking down at Bakura trying to keep his eyes off Marik. Now was not the time to get Marik's attention; now he needed to worry about Ryou.

Bakura looked up at him as and asked gruffly, "What do you want?" His eyes looked panicky and he seemed almost petrified.

Malik cleared his throat and asked, "Jonouchi told me he came over to your house this morning. Did you answer the door for him?"

"What? You mean Wheeler? He didn't do any such thing this morning. I was up before sunrise. If he had come I would know," Bakura said staring up at Malik. "Why would he say that?"

"You mean, Jonouchi didn't come to your house this morning?" Malik asked, "But he told me he came to see Ryou, but he wasn't there. He said he had been out tying to find him since early this morning."

"And you believed him, koi?" Marik asked looking up from the bench, "I thought I taught you never to trust anyone over your gut feeling. What do you think happened?"

"I- I- I'm not sure," Malik said scratching the back of his head; "Bakura, do you want to help me look downtown for Ryou?" He held out his hand as an offering and smiled when Bakura took it.

"Let's go," Bakura started and jogged down the street not even waiting for Malik to catch up.

Malik smiled at Marik, "Seems he's turned over a new leaf?" he said, but frowned when Marik shook his head.

"Malik? Do you really understand anything?" He looked down at his koi and smirked, "Bakura loves Ryou; isn't it obvious?"

"But he hurt him, and he-." Marik placed a finger over Malik's lips and chickled.

"He needed to feel dominant; love. Bakura's like that; he just needed to feel some superiority and that was the only way he knew. I don't really think he understands how much he hurt Ryou, but trust me, Malik, he loves him more than life itself," Marik smiled and turned.

As he began to walk away Malik smiled. If only Ryou was there hear that. He would be ecstatic. Malik bowed his head, "I swear; you'll hear that one day Ryou. One day soon." He imagined his best friend's joy in his heart and silently swore to himself; he'd make sure Ryou knew that; he wouldn't let him die without knowing.

He jumped off his left foot and sprinted down the street. If Marik was right……then was Jonouchi a liar?


	6. Chapter 5

_**HI GUYS!! Long time no see!! I know! I had a horrible case of writers block and this chap. is only like 3 pages…I'm sorry. I promise; I'll make up for it in the next chapter… Well, Sorry again!**_

Chapter 5

"Bakura," Malik shouted through the open doorway of the deserted house, "I think I might have found something."

The muscular figure stepped through the doorway and leaned over the smaller form's shoulder; a paper hung on the wall. It read, "If you want your toy back, Thief King; you'll have to find me first."

Bakura turned and punched the brittle wall and nearly caused a hole to form in it.

"Bakura; would you calm down," Malik started tearing the paper from the wall; "You have to stay strong-," he stopped; he had to give a reason. Bakura would never take his advice without a reason. "You-," he stopped again thinking harder, "You have to stay strong; because if you give up then what will Ryou have to come home to? I- if you give up; how can you expect Ryou to possibly hold on?"

"What?" Bakura yelled twisting around and holding Malik against the wall, "Why would you say that? He- he-." Bakura did not finish; he looked down at the paper in Malik's hand and narrowed his eyes.

"Bakura," Malik started looking down at the paper, "Do you- do you love Ryou?" He asked almost at a whisper. He looked up, he could remember all the times Ryou had told him how much he loved Bakura. He never would have thought that it would come to this though.

"It doesn't matter," Bakura said connecting his eyes with the blonde Egyptian.

Malik squinted and looked up at Bakura, "You know it matters, Bakura, you act as if it doesn't, but even you must know it does. If you can't even come to reality with it how can you ever expect Ryou to?" He nearly screamed closing his eyes in anger. It did not seem right that Ryou had spent day after day and night after night wishing that this man would love him when in reality that man did not care.

Bakura shook his head and pushed Malik harder against the wall, "You don't know anything about this; so stay out it." He could feel the anger growing inside him; his whole body was hot with rage.

"But I do know something about it! If I didn't then why would Ryou come to me instead of anyone else? Why would he tell me how many times he's wished that you'd-," he stopped and nearly covered his mouth; it had slipped out. Now Bakura knew.

"What?" he asked, "You mean he's told you things he hasn't told me?" His eyes burned; this was a feeling he had never felt before. He felt like weeping but at the same time he felt like hitting the Egyptian as hard as he could.

"Yes, Bakura, but you could know those things if you'll just listen to him. Stop hurting him and try to communicate with him. Believe me he'll listen," Malik started looking down at his shoulder. Bakura's hand was still there and now it was burning with pain.

"No," Bakura said simply, "Why would he listen to me? I- I; there's no reason for him to even trust me anymore. I wouldn't blame him if he hated me." He looked down unconsciously reliving his grip on Malik's shoulder.

Malik could feel the tension in the small place growing with every second. He looked up at Bakura and then down at the floor. Something was not right. "Bakura, we need to get out of here quickly," he said hastily jerking away from Bakura.

Bakura grabbed his arm as he walked through the door and said, "Why? What do you know that I don't?"

"N- nothing. Just get out of here; it's going to collapse on you," He pulled at his arm trying to get away from Bakura. "Bakura," he started, "If you have a death wish then stay in here for all I care, but I don't want to die in a rotten house."

The roof creaked loudly and a small piece of wood fell from above and Bakura looked up. Was someone on top of the roof? He pushed Malik through the door and jumped out the door; the roof slowly collapsed and the walls fell under it.

Malik stared and then held up the paper, "At least we still have our lives; and this." He looked down at it again, "Who wrote this, Bakura?"

Bakura shook his head as he stood slowly, "I'm not sure, but if we want to find Ryou we have to look everywhere. So let's get to work."

"Right," Malik cheered jumping up from the ground, "We'll find him no matter what, right?"

Chuckling quietly Bakura answered, "Of course we will," and began to walk down the street again.

Malik began to follow him, but stopped when he heard a twig snap. He turned his head; a figure clad in black stood beside the pile of wood that used to form the house. He squinted and tried to memorize the figures features.

Bakura turned to Malik and squinted, "What are you looking at?" He looked in the direction Malik was looking and then looked back at him, "Nothing's there you know."

Malik looked up at him and then back at the stack of rotten wood. Bakura was right; no one was there. "But, I swear there was someone standing over there!"

Bakura rolled his eyes and looked over at the wood again, "Malik, did you eat lunch? Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Of course! Well, I haven't had lunch; speaking of which I really hope Marik will cook tonight. It's such a hassle. Oh, this is off the point," he stomped and pointed toward the wood, "There was someone there. I swear to Ra there was someone there."

"That might not be intelligent, Malik," Bakura warned, "Ra has strict judgments for people who swear on his name and then lie about it."

"But I'm telling the truth," Malik started when Bakura began to walk away, "I'm not lying. You have to believe me, Bakura!"

Bakura kept walking. Malik sighed; had there really been someone there? Was it just his imagination? "Well," he whispered, "I have been up since midnight last night. Maybe it was only a hallucination."

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Bakura. They had to hurry or else Ryou was doomed. Sprinting steadily ahead Malik never noticed the man who had been standing behind him.

The man clad in black chuckled slightly and watched as they sprinted out of sight. "Well, well, well," he whispered, "Seems Leader found a good one this time." He chuckled once again and walked down the road silently, "And they'll never find him with that brat's help. Never."

"Joe hand me the flashlight," Honda called out of the tight dirt hole as he reached through the darkness, "Joe?"

He waited; not even a slight rustle of feet. He sighed, "Joe? Joe? This isn't funny," he yelled waving his feet slightly. He felt something squirm across his hand and waved it maniacally. "I've watched countless shadow games and yet I'm still afraid of worms. I'm such a crybaby," he sighed looking up at the light. Jonouchi wasn't there.

Silently he pushed himself out of the whole. He knew it had been a bad idea to go with Jonouchi. The group had separated when they entered the forest and Jonouchi and Honda had been grouped together.

Honda should have known it was a bad idea when Jonouchi suggested the fox hole, but not wanting to make Jonouchi angry had agreed to go down. He could not see; it was dark, and he could just hear the spiders creeping up his arms. He nearly screamed and pushed himself out of the whole.

"That was easier than I thought," he said and dusted himself off, but it was still no use. He was covered in mud and most of it was now dried onto his clothes. "Where did you go Joe?" he asked the air in front of him. Something was wrong, but he couldn't quite get his mind to come up with what it was.

He turned and slowly made his way through the trees. Where had Jonouchi gone?


	7. Chapter 6

_**HIYA GUYSES! I'm soo sorry it's taken me so long to update I've had a lot of homework and stuff so I hope you'll forgive me.. Anyway, I got a few questions from reviews last time so I'll answer a few. OK?**_

**_Love'sBakura- you asked a few questions…not that anything's wrong with that! I like questions! lol. I'm here to answer them. The house collapsed for a reason you will find out in this chapter. Joe is evil because I want him to be!! lol. You'll find out sometime sooner or later why he's evil. sorry I couldn't answer your questions better._**

_**ENJOY!**_

Chapter 6

The room was dark; only lit by the small torches on the walls. The only sound was the dripping of water from the leaky wood ceiling. The man sitting in the chair near the back of the room sighed and looked to his right at the boy lying bound with ropes and gagged against the walls.

The man chuckled looking at the boy; he was stronger than he had prepared for. When they had tried to tie him; he put up such a struggle that they were forced to use more force than with any of their previous captives.

Loud footsteps creaked through the room and the man looked up as a man clothed in black walked through the door with a smirk on his lips, "The task you assigned has been completed," he said as he bowed down low.

"Excellent," the man chuckled in a deep voice leaning back in his chair, "Riako, I have another assignment for you."

Riako stood straight but then kneeled reverently to the man, "Yes master?"

The man looked down at him and opened his mouth, but stopped when a figure entered the room, "Oh," the man started standing to look at the figure who had entered the room, "Jonouchi; did you deceive them well?"

Jonouchi stopped and nodded his head, "Of course."

"Good, my slave," the man chuckled maliciously and looked back at Riako, "Riako and I were just talking, if you would leave the room, Jonouchi." He sat back down and waved his fingers; motioning for Jonouchi to leave.

Jonouchi obeyed and walked through the door he had entered by.

Riako stood up and turned back to the door to make sure the door was closed, "Sire, are you certain using him as a mind slave will be a success? What if his willpower is too strong? You saw what happened to Malik Ishtar when he tried to do the same."

The man nodded, "The power of Malik Ishtar's rod is inferior to mine," He folded his hands, "Why? Do you doubt me, Riako?" he asked grimly; glaring at Riako from under his black hood.

Riako's hands began to quiver with fear, "No, sire, I'm just concerned," he answered bowing again, "Gomen."

The man waves his hand as a sign that he forgave him, "Now back to your assignment."

* * *

"Joe," Honda called placing his hand on the rough bark of another tree; he ignored the unpleasant feeling and scanned the area around him, "Joe," he called again, "Where did you go you moron?"

The wind whistled through the trees and a blue-bird high in the trees sung a song of utter beauty. Honda looked down and sighed Jonouchi had been acting so strange lately. He was always disappearing at the moments when someone needed him the most.

Honda started walking slowly; glancing around to make sure there was no one there.

"Hi Honda!"

A chill went up his spine and he turned quickly, "Yugi," he sighed in relief, "You scared me, man!" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and grinned, "Oh yeah, Joe left."

Yami stepped out behind Yugi and asked, "Why? Where did he go, Honda?" He looked straight through Honda's eyes and said, "Do you know where he is?"

Honda shook his head and looked down, "He suggested looking down a fox hole; so I crawled down into it and when I got out he was gone."

Yugi looked up at him with anxiety shining in his eyes, "This isn't good, Yami. What's happening to everyone?" He closed his eyes and spun around clinging to his Yami's chest, "Why is this happening?" he sobbed loudly letting his tears drop onto the ground.

Yami knelt down and held Yugi close, "Everything will work out, Koi," he whispered brushing a strand of hair out of Yugi's face. He cupped his cheek and kissed his forehead gently, "Don't worry."

Yugi sniffled and looked up at his Yami, "Thank you," he sobbed quietly as he pulled away from him, "We have to find them both now, Yami." He sighed, "What's happening?"

Honda intruded in the conversation and put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, "Come on, Yugi; don't lose your happy glow over this. It'll all be ok; right Yami?" He looked at Yami and blinked slowly, "Right?"

Yami took a deep breath and let it out; "No matter how much it pains me to say it; it all rests on Malik and Bakura's shoulders. We can't do much right now, Yugi; Honda."

They both looked at him; their bodies shook with fear. It was more serious than they had first thought. Yugi's eyes began to water again, "Why does this happen to us?" he thought aloud.

"Yugi!" A loud coarse voice rang through the forest.

Yugi's head jerked up and he stared around through teary eyes, "Who said that?" he whispered looking around again. "Yami; who?"

A hand grasped his shoulder and he turned quickly nearly falling against his Yami, "Malik!" he whispered closing his eyes, "You scared me."

"Gomen, Yugi, but we thought we'd come back and see how you were doing. Where's Jonouchi?" Malik asked looking around as he stood up straight, "Did he go missing again?"

Honda nodded and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, "It'll be alright, Yug," he whispered before standing up beside Malik; "We can all re-group now. It's obvious that Ryou is nowhere to be found in this place."

Malik smiled at Yugi and ruffled his spiked hair gently; "We'll look together, Yugi." He frowned at Bakura and sighed almost silently, "Do you think we'll be able to find him before it gets too cold?"

Bakura's features turned dark and he frowned looked down at the hard ground beneath his feet; it was December, the fifth to be exact; and they didn't have a clue to where he was yet. "If we look hard enough," he tried to smile, but looked down again, "I'm sure we can find him."

Malik blinked grimly and looked at Bakura again; lately he had seemed so different, so fearful and cautious. Was it because of Ryou going missing? _"I don't really understand, Bakura," _he thought to himself, _"But as long as I know you can make Ryou happy I'll be fine." _He looked up and said, "Bakura," quietly.

Bakura looked up at him almost instinctively. Malik could see tears developing slowly in his eyes. _"You're crying?" he thought_, "Bakura, do you remember ever hearing Ryou in his room at night?" He went on without waiting for an answer, "He used to wish on the stars; he told me that he believed they heard him and that they were lucky. Maybe the stars might lead us to him."

Everyone standing around them looked at Malik as if he were a dragon, "You must be joking," Honda started leaning against a tree; he gazed up at the stars, "The stars aren't going to help us. They're nothing but puffs of gas. How can they "hear" us?"

"You can't have forgotten already, Honda," Yami started looking him over, "How many shadow games have you watched? You should know by those games that things aren't always as they appear."

Honda sighed, "I guess so, but those were shadow games; this is the real world. Those things can't happen in the real world. Miracles don't exist; at least not nowadays," he kept gazing at the stars. Yami would make this hard no matter what he said; he knew that already.

Yami sighed, "Those shadow games took place in the real world didn't they?" he asked eyeing Honda suspiciously, "It's not like you to doubt so many things, Honda."

Yugi sat on the ground looking up at all of them. He wondered; Malik seemed to realize that it was serious, and Bakura did too, but the others seemed to think it was just a normal day. "Do you really understand?" He asked them looking down slowly through his tear-blurred eyes, "This is more serious than you think."

Bakura frowned at him and blinked slowly, "Do you think I don't know that?" he said slowly watching Yugi from under his long, white bangs; "Ryou is still part of me. Do you think I don't still feel his pain?"

Malik gasped and glanced around at all of them, _"Just like I'm still connected to Marik," he thought, "Ryou is still connected to Bakura; but if that's true why did Bakura abuse Ryou?" _He looked at Bakura shocked and asked aloud, "If you're still connected to him why did you-?" He stopped. He had not noticed the rest of them standing there. He gulped and cleared his throat, "Never mind," he said, "But we have to get going now, Yugi understands that now; you two should get it through your thick skulls."

Yami looked at him with a sense of authority and scoffed silently.

"I beg your pardon, Pharaoh, but it's the truth," Malik stated turning to leave, "And even though you were the Pharaoh, Yami, that doesn't make you any better than any of us. We went through those shadow games with you and we endured just as much as you did; don't you dare get prideful." He sighed almost as if disappointed in himself and walked away slowly, "Bakura; we need to move on. If they want to stay behind let them, but we have to get going."

Bakura nodded and stepped around Yugi and Yami to follow Malik as he left the cluster of trees.

Yugi watched as they disappeared and then looked at both of his friends sharply, "You made them angry, Yami," he sighed embracing himself, "Why do you always get so arrogant?"

Yami smirked and ruffled Yugi's hair, "I thought you liked that," he said seductively.

Yugi frowned, "You can't always be that way, Yami, I'm not the only person here. You might have really made them angry." He sighed as the wind blew through his hair; it smelled moister; _"A storm must be coming," he thought._

Yami placed an arm around Yugi's shoulders and said, "Don't worry, Yugi, this will all end soon," he sighed leading Yugi out of the forest nearly stepping in the same places Malik had, "We'll go help Ishtar and Bakura," he said tightening his grip to support Yugi.

Honda watched them and called, "Hey, guys, you can't forget me can you?" He ran after them and thought silently about Jonouchi; was he alright or was he hurt? Was he alive or was he-.

"Honda, watch out!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm so evil evil grin another cliffy to make you read my next chapie!


	8. Chapter 7

**HEY! Long time no see! so how are things? My internet suddenly went down so that's the reason why I haven't updated lately oh and Christmas of course. Well, I hope this is worth the wait! R&R pwease! Love ya! BYEBYE!!**

Chapter 7

A shadowy figure stepped out of the limo and walked slowly toward Honda, "You idiot," he whispered waving to the chauffeur calmly. The street lights made a shadow fall over the boy lying limp in the street.

The figure began to walk back to the long car, but stopped as quick light footsteps came hastily toward the fallen boy. "Honda," a hoarse voice called over the sounds of the night, "Honda." The boy did not stir; he lay there seeming almost lifeless.

"Kaiba," the voice came again as a hand grabbed the man's sleeve tightly, "Kaiba you have to help him. You hit him!"

Kaiba looked down at the boy and scoffed, "Why should I help someone like him, Yugi? He's the one who ran into the street." He pulled his arm away from Yugi and walked back to the open door, "It'd be wise to call an ambulance before your friend here does die."

He stepped into the long, black car and closed the door sharply. The car sped out of site and Yugi stood jaw-dropped until his Yami placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Kaiba won't get away with this."

Yugi nodded and scurried toward Honda, "Do you think he'll be alright, Yami?" He asked; his voice trembling with fear.

Yami opened his mouth to answer, but sirens pierced the silence and he looked to the source. A light orange car sped down the street with lights steadily flashing above it. Yami chuckled and looked down at Yugi, "Kaiba may not appear to be as kind as he really is, Yugi."

The ambulance stopped near the corner and three men dressed in yellow vests hustled out with a long stretcher; One knelt down by Honda and lifted his head slightly. "There's still some time left," he called back to his companions.

They nodded and carried the stretcher to where the fallen boy lay on the gravel. Slipping the stretcher under him slowly they whispered to each other giving one another orders. "You need to take him back to the hospital," one had said. Another said, "And you need to talk to and bystanders and see if they have anything to say." The other was silent as he lifted the stretcher.

The men still on the ground stood as well and wheeled the stretcher to the ambulance.

Yugi stared astonished, Kaiba had done this, he was the one who hit Honda, but he was also the one who called the ambulance. He sighed, why was Kaiba so complicated. He looked over at his Yami; still the emotionless mask covered his face. _"It feels like I don't understand anyone anymore," _Yugi thought solemnly, _"Not Kaiba, not Bakura, not Malik, not Honda or Jonouchi, not even you, Yami."_

He squinted as the lights began to flash again; Yugi watched as a man raced from the ambulance as it drove away. The man stopped in front of them and looked them over like a man inspecting a watch-dog, "You wouldn't happen to know what happened would you?" He asked.

Yugi nodded, "He ran into the street; that's all that happened," he said simply while looking at the man in front of him attentively.

The man nodded, "I could tell, but if that's all the information you have I guess I'll let you go now," he began to walk away, but stopped when he realized that he had forgotten some key information. "Could you give me your phone number," he asked turning quickly, "So we can call you when we find out more about his situation?"

Yugi looked back to Yami and asked, "Do you think we should?" quietly. He heard his Yami whisper, "I suppose," as he backed away to sit on the railing of the garden behind them.

Nodding slowly Yugi took the pen and notebook the man offered him and wrote the numbers slowly one by one. "There you go," he said trying to sound as polite as possible, but that was hard after all that had happened that night. He handed the notebook back to the man and nodded.

Smiling the man turned and walked away.

"What did I say?" Yugi asked without turning to face the man he spoke to, "Why did you speak to me that way; why did you back away from me?"

Yami looked at him and frowned, "Yugi," he whispered without moving. He searched within himself for words to follow, but he could find none. He only stared at the back of the one he loved. "I-," he started still searching for the words, "I can hear your thoughts, Yugi."

Searching through his memory Yugi tried to remember anything he had thought or felt that might have made his love act this way. He looked over his shoulder and whispered, "What was it I thought, Yami?"

"Yugi," he whispered closing his eyes, "How do you feel about, say, Seto Kaiba?" His eyes opened unconsciously as he lifted his head to see what he would answer.

The words surprised the teen; he turned back and looked at the street lights. It was getting late, but tonight there were no stars. _"Ryou," _he thought silently, _"You used to say if there were no stars horrible things would happen. I'm starting to believe you were right."_ He closed his eyes, "Why would you ask that?" he asked still refusing to face Yami.

"So you don't understand me anymore," Yami sighed and looked at the back of Yugi's head, "and I suppose that's why you feel like you do about Kaiba."

Yugi shook his head, "Why I feel what way, Yami?" He asked finally spinning to face him.

Yami did not answer; he merely stood and walked away.

"Why?" Yugi whispered watching through teary eyes as his love walked away. "**_Why_**?"

"Bakura, why did you abuse him?" Malik asked for the third time. He had been asking Bakura the same question for almost an hour now, and every time Bakura gave him the same answer.

"It's my business and not yours," Bakura replied again, "Why do you care anyway?" He looked up in the tree above him to make sure it was no trap.

Malik sighed, "It is my business, because he's my best friend, Bakura. If your best friend was being abused wouldn't you want to help him?" He asked waiting for Bakura to finish his inspection. "Bakura? What are you doing?"

He didn't look up from his position on the ground, "We have to be close," He whispered reaching into the soil. He took out a rusted pocket knife and shoved it into his pocket, "Where else could it be, Malik?"

"So you are worried," Malik started as he stepped toward him, "If only you really showed it." He pulled a branch from the tree and pulled the leaves and twigs off it. Bakura heard him mumble something that sounded a lot like **"I miss my rod."**

Bakura watched as Malik took the branch and waved it like a magic wand chanting words to himself like he had so many years ago. _"I know what you mean," _Bakura thought touching his own chest. He still remembered the weight of the Ring; he could still feel it hanging there, and yet when he looked down to see it, it was no longer there.

"Do you really want to know why I did it?" Bakura asked as he moved his hand away; realizing that the Ring was gone now and forever.

Malik nodded and swung the branch at the tree one last time before sitting in front of Bakura, "Well, let's hear it." He said laying the branch across his legs.

Bakura sighed, "The reason I abused him was, wait," he stopped and closed his eyes. He could remember every time he had hurt his love, but truly he did not think he had a reason. "I didn't," he whispered trying to admit it to Malik and to himself as well.

"Yes you do," Malik started picking up the branch, "I had a reason that I treasured my rod and I have a reason to love Marik. So you have to have a reason as to why you did it." He looked at Bakura inventively and nodded for him to continue.

"_The ring," _he thought, "The ring." He felt again the weight of the ring around his neck, _"That's it; it was the ring. It connected us and when it was gone- _we lost our connection." he finished aloud.

"Lost your connection?"

A leaf fell from the tree and landed on Bakura's lap; he looked down on it. It was golden brown; the color of the ring. Maybe he just wanted the ring back just as Malik wanted his rod back. He looked at Malik and sighed, _"No," _he thought to himself.

Malik looked down when Bakura stopped speaking and whispered, "The ring was your connection, right, and when you lost it you lost your connection. So you abused him to keep that connection." He looked at him again and froze seeing Bakura's face.

Bakura breathed hard and nodded.

"Do you miss the ring?" Malik asked quietly, "As much as I miss my rod?" He looked up to see Bakura answer and moved his fingers along the stick imagining himself back so many years ago when the only thing that mattered this world was him and his rod.

Bakura took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _"I miss the ring; mostly because it connected us," _he thought and looked at Malik as he touched the stick again, _"but would I actually give anything to have it back like Malik probably would?"_

"Bakura," Malik hesitated to call his name; he knew Bakura was thinking deeply about it, but it was useless to let him think about this too much, "So?"

"I miss it, but I wouldn't give up _anything _to have it back," he said and stood holding the tree for support, "What would you give to have it back, Malik?" he asked reaching back into his pocket, "Would you give anything?"

Malik nodded, "Almost," he said and stood as well, "But what does it matter? My rod's gone forever; there's no way to get it back."

"_Maybe there is," _Bakura thought but decided not to repeat it to Malik, at least not until Ryou was safe. "Ryou," he whispered finally remembering the real reason he was here and not at home.

Malik looked up at him and hastily stood up, he repeated the name Bakura had whispered and turned away from Bakura dropping the stick.

"Go ahead, Malik," Bakura sighed setting his hand on the tree, "I want to check something here."

Malik hesitated but did as Bakura said and made his way through the trees out of Bakura's sight.

Sighing, Bakura walked into the deeply wooded forest, "You'll be safe soon," he said aloud pushing his way past branches and twigs determined this time to find what he was searching for.

"Bakura," Ryou whispered looking around the room; he could barely see the walls surrounding him. The darkness was consuming, he had felt darkness before, he knew what it was like to feel like death was on the doorstep; he knew.

"But when you're not with me," he finished his thoughts aloud and searched the room for light, "It feels so much darker; it's not as easy to cope with it." He found a small window in the wall and tried to crawl to it, but as he moved his legs he realized that they had been bound as well as his arms.

He sighed; there was no way to get out of this without a helping hand. He could hear footsteps slowly approaching the door; he gasped and pushed himself into the dark corner. He knew it was a futile attempt at helping himself, but it had to be done.

"_**Yes,"** _he heard a voice from the other side of the door, **_"Of course." _**He closed his eyes silently and smiled to comfort himself, "I can feel it," he whispered, "You really care about me." He could feel his love's presence slowly enclosing around him. "So you really do love me," he whispered closing his eyes, "You do love me."


	9. Chapter 8

**_Hi guys! Sorry to took me an eternity to get this chapter up, but I had a permanent case of writers block for a few months. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. I'll try to get the next one up sooner._**

Chapter 8

He took the dark cloak from the moist, green ground and looked down at the bloody body beneath it. He chuckled almost maliciously and smiled, "That's what you get for being in my way and for taking him away from me."

He wrapped the heavy cloak around himself and pulled the hood over his head. "Now," he began stepping forward leaving a foot print in the mud, "I'll take care of you." He cracked his knuckles quietly and made his way to the corner of the small shed-like house.

Peeking along the wall he spotted a man standing there against it talking quietly with the smiling man in front of him. "He's locked up in there; we don't have to worry." He smiled and crossed his arms behind his head, "Yeah. They'll never find us here; why'd you think we picked this spot anyway?"

They both laughed loudly, almost drunkenly. It was obvious that they did not expect any surprise like the one they were on the verge of experiencing. Bakura chuckled to himself and smiled, "Oh really?"

He held the dagger hanging heavy from his belt close to his side and made his way around to corner. They saw him at once and both asked, "Who are you?" in unison. They looked him over quietly and one reached for a gun hanging from his side.

Bakura smiled and chuckled again taking the dagger from its sheathe, "You fool," he whispered jabbing forward; the blade facing the man. He shifted on his feet and knocked the men down both in one powerful lunge.

"What are you-?" one of the men sitting upright mud asked him quietly before opening his eyes wide as he realized what was happening. "You," he gasped to the man beside him, "Go get help; we've been found." He took a deep breath and took his gun from his side, "Go now!"

Bakura paid no attention to the man hastily making his way through the bushes and trees, "Do you really think I care about what happens to you? Whether you live or die means nothing to me; all I want is to have Ryou back." He knelt and punched the man still sitting there as hard as possible.

The man lay there unconscious; the gun resting beside his hand.

Bakura smiled and kicked the fragile door open, "Sooner or later I'll have to kill you or else this'll happen again." He shook his head and stepped into the wide room. "Ryou," he whispered forcefully taking another step into the room, "Ryou?"

"Bakura."

He heard Ryou's beautiful voice calling from the other side of the room and spun around on his heels. "Ryou," he whispered reaching forward as he saw him in chains against the wall. He took long strides to the wall and looked around cautiously, "Are you alright?" He asked brushing strands of hair from his forehead, "I looked everywhere for you."

"You did?" Ryou coughed and looked down, "I'm sorry." He leaned into Bakura's touch and smiled, "But I'm fine," he whispered.

Bakura smiled and nodded, "Good; now we'll need to get you out of here," he looked around and frowned, "Do you know where the key to this lock is?" he asked wrapping his fingers around the lock hanging from the chains.

Ryou shook his head, "They took it," he whispered leaning as far forward as possible, "Are you angry?" he asked trying to jerk his hand away from the wall.

"Why would I be?" Bakura asked placing his hand over Ryou's softly, "I couldn't be angry with you. It wasn't your fault." He breathed deep and smiled, "I'll get you out of here, I promise."

"How can you promise something like that?" Ryou asked tears burning his eyes, "What if you can't find the key?" He looked up at Bakura through hazy eyes and frowned, "What if-?"

Bakura cut off the sentence and pressed his lips softly to Ryou's, "You don't have to worry," he whispered and stood abruptly, "I'll protect you."

Ryou sat motionless, stunned by what Bakura had done, "Alright," he forced out as he let his body relax, "I trust you." He looked up and smiled, "Well?"

Bakura nodded and took the chain into his hand. He pulled it sharply and squinted as it clanked, but stood sturdy. He sighed and looked at Ryou again, "This could hurt you," he whispered pulling the chain again. He got the same response.

"Can you get it?" Ryou asked closing his eyes tightly. He saw Bakura shake his head and looked down, "Then what can we do?" he asked pulling at the chains around his wrists.

"I'll try one more time, using all I've got," Bakura gritted his teeth and pulled the chain one last time and sent it falling to the ground. He looked down at Ryou and smiled, "See?"

Ryou smiled and nodded rubbing his wrists. He looked around and then back at Bakura, "We should get out of here, quickly," he gasped and reached out for Bakura's hand, "Help me?"

"Of course," Bakura answered taking his hand and helping him stand straight. He picked him up and held him close as he made his way to the door, "Will you be alright?" he asked softly, stepping out the door slowly.

Ryou nodded and snuggled against Bakura's chest, "I'll be fine; you're here," he answered holding tight to Bakura with one hand resting on the arm beneath him. He looked up at him and smiled reassuringly, "Go on, I'm fine here."

Bakura nodded and took long strides into the wooded forest. He slowly pushed branches out of the way and continued until he reached the dirt road. Checking the road for any signs of others he stepped out onto it and began to make a steady pace toward the park. He smiled to himself as he reached the green grass of the park.

Holding Ryou closer to keep him from the cold Bakura walked into the park slowly and looked around. It was a normal day, countless children ran around the park in groups and parents sat talking. He took a step into the park and smiled down to Ryou, but closed his eyes as he realized that Ryou had fallen asleep.

He walked on until he reached the front door to the house he had been away from for almost four days now. He opened the door and nearly dropped Ryou as he saw the sight in the living room.

"How could you let them get away you insolent fool?" the man took a swing at the boy behind him and gritted his teeth, "You stupid boy, how could you let something like this happen? It was perfect." He stood with his back to the boy and frowned folding his hand into a tight fist.

The boy looked up at him shaken with fear, "You- you don't understand," he started, "Someone came up to us with a dagger; we couldn't do anything." He stopped himself and looked down, "I'm sorry, sir."

The man looked over his shoulder and shook his head, "Next time this happens you'll regret the day you joined us," he said softly, "You've let this happen far too many times; I can't just forget about it." He took his gun from his side and placed a finger on the trigger.

"P- please," the boy stuttered holding out his hands to ask for mercy, "Don't do that, I'll show you I can do this. Give me one more chance, sir, please." He looked down between his arms and frowned, "If you'll just give me one more assignment I'll show you."

"I've given you too many chances as it is," the man whispered turning and holding the gun to the boy's forehead, "There are no more chances I can give you." He sighed.

"You don't have to kill him."

The man looked up and smiled, "Jonouchi," he said lowering the gun slowly, "Why are you here so early?" he asked chuckling, "You weren't supposed to be here until later."

Jonouchi took a step forward and sighed, "I had nothing else to do," he said taking another step forward, "The kid might be of some use to us. So they came and got him, huh?"

The man nodded solemnly and said, "Our plan is ruined."

"Not quite," Jonouchi said slowly taking a step forward and kicking the boy still on the floor, "Hey, I have an assignment for you, kid." He said standing straight and smiling mischievously.

The boy looked up and smiled, "Really? What?" he asked eagerly turning to look at Jonouchi. His eyes gleamed and his hands rested on the hard wooden floor, "Whatever you want me to do, sir."

Jonouchi smiled and nodded, "Good boy," he said taking the gun from the man, "You're going to get him back for us, got it?" he asked shifting the gun in to a more comfortable position in his hand.

"Got it, got it," the boy stammered sitting up straight, "I'll get right on it." He stood and took a step forward; he stopped when Jonouchi held an arm out to stop him.

"Oh, no," He said holding the boy back, "You can't go now; they'll be expecting it." He took a step forward and tucked the gun into his belt, "You'll have to wait a while."

The boy nodded, "How long?" he asked looking back at Jonouchi's head.

"Not long," Jonouchi started, "Not long at all."

Yugi kept his eyes locked on the tall hospital as he ran down the dark, wet street. His clothes were soaked from the puddles beneath his feet. "Why now?" he panted, "Why did this have to happen?" His footsteps slowed; he felt the weight of gravity on his shoulders.

He stopped leaning forward, his hands resting on his knees, and frowned as he realized how far away the building was. He sighed and looked over his shoulder, "Yami," he whispered searching through the darkness, "I need you for this."

His heart beat hastened; he pushed his legs to move. They ached; he could feel them trembling beneath him, about to give away. He stopped leaning against the hard brick wall beside him; looking up he sighed again, "Why can't I just move faster?" he asked himself.

The building seemed to move farther away instead of coming closer. Yugi shook his head bending over to rest is hands on his knees; it was too far away, just too far away. He looked over his shoulder and frowned; he couldn't go home now.

He looked up at the sky; it was dark, black covered by the dismal storm clouds. The wind blew strong against his back; he shivered wrapping his slender arms around himself, "I wonder," he thought aloud, "If it'll snow tonight."

He heard the roar of a car, a long car, speeding through the streets and took a step nearer to the brick wall. The puddles splashed beneath his feet; he stopped hearing the car stop beside him and looked into the blinding headlights.

Shading his eyes with the back of his hand he glanced back at the car, "Kaiba?" he whispered, "Again?" He stopped and waited as the car moved forward slowly until the last door stood in front of him.

The door opened and a small figure jumped out of the car, "Yugi," the voice was low, but still childish, "You're soaked. Why don't you hop in the car with us; we can drive you to the hospital to see Honda. Seto told me all about what happened; I couldn't believe it."

"Mokuba?" Yugi asked straining his eyes to see in the darkness, "Is that you?" He extended his arm to touch the figure standing in frong of him, but stopped hearing it laugh.

"Of course," it laughed tugging Yugi's shirt, "Come on, if you don't you'll only get wetter. Seto says it's going to rain soon, and it's going to be harder than the last one. Let's go." He tugged harder on Yugi's shirt nearly ripping it at the seams and pulled him into the large backseat of the limo.

The door was closed abruptly giving Yugi no chance of escape, "Alright," he whispered watching the land fly by as the car began to move, "Everything will be fine." He looked along the seat and frowned seeing Seto Kaiba sitting against the door, perfect posture. Sighing he lay his head against the seat. He could hear Mokuba talking to Kaiba loudly, laughing after every sentence.

"Mokuba," Kaiba finally spoke up as they entered the large parking lot, "Shhhh," he hushed his little brother ruffling his hair and motioning to the driver to make a left turn.

Yugi watched them as they talked quietly about something that sounded like the park on Saturday, but he couldn't be certain. The car came to a stop and Kaiba glanced over at Yugi smiling slightly, "Well, are you going alone or should we go in with you?"

Blushing unnoticeably Yugi shook his head opening the car door, "I can do this myself, thank you, Kaiba. Besides, you're the one who did it." The door slammed back into place with a loud clank; it stood open as Yugi walked angrily through transparent double doors into the large room. It was quiet; only one other person sat on a sofa lined against the white wall reading a magazine.

Yugi frowned and walked hesitantly to the counter, "Excuse me, mam," he whisper to the woman behind it wishing he could turn away and run back to the safety and solitude of the warm limo, but he knew that was now only unsafe, but impossible.

"Yes?" she asked glancing up at him from the fashion magazine she hand in her hands. She blew a bubble from the gum in her mouth and frowned impatiently, "Come on kid, what do you want?" she asked tapping her fingernails one by one on the desk.

He smiled despite the annoyance he felt against her gum chewing and fingernail tapping, "Um, I need to see someone," he stuttered and leaned against the desk knowing she was only growing more impatient.

She gave him another impatient glare and said, "Who, kid? Would you hurry up? I'm busy." She looked down at her magazine and frowned, "Come on kid, let's go or get out. I don't have time for stupid kids who just come in here to waste my time."

"Tristan Taylor, mam," he whispered hoping to be rid of her as soon as possible. He sighed seeing her shake her head and look down at the paper under her magazine.

"Room 212, kid," she groaned picking up the magazine, "Go on, don't waste anymore of my time." She waved him away and blew another bubble

Yugi nodded and walked down the white hallway passing white painted doors with numbers carved into them, "200,203," he whispered to himself as he passed the numbers, "207, 209, 211," he stopped in front of the next door and smiled reading the numbers, 212.

He reached for the door knob hastily, ready to leave the narrow airless hallway, "Honda," he said quietly stepping into the room, "How do you feel?" he asked glancing at the boy in the white sheeted hospital bed.

"Oh," Honda smiled and opened one eye, "I'm ok, my side hurts a-little and I've got a killer headache, but other than that I'm fine," he said wriggling his fingers under the blanket, "How'd you get here so fast? Where's Yami?"

Yugi glanced down and smiled weakly, "Um, something happened wen you got hit, Honda, Yami and I had a- a fight," he stammered re-living the dreadful memory. "I- I rode here with K-Kaiba."

Honda frowned noticing the anxiety blazing in his eyes like the summer sun, "Kaiba? Are you ok, Yugi? Did he do something to you?" He moved weakly toward Yugi and reached to tap his shoulder, "Yugi?"

"No, no, Honda, he didn't do anything to me," he whispered turning away from the boy in the bed, "But, Y- Yami fought with me because he thought I "liked" Kaiba. Does it look like I like Kaiba? How could he possibly get that from me? I don't understand; do you?" He glanced over his shoulder at Honda and frowned, "Well? Do you?"

Honda nodded slowly, "Well, you do talk about him a lot; I was surprised that Yami went this long without saying something," he squinted as pain shot through his side, "Ugh, Yugi, do you- do you like Kaiba?"

Yugi turned to him and frowned unsure of how to answer, "Well-," he whispered, "I- I don't know, but I guess I'll have to find out…and soon."


	10. Chapter 9

_Yeah, yeah, I know it took me an eternity, but I got an extreme case of writers block (nothing unusual about that) and I started watching and anime called Death Note… I'm working on a fanfic for that too… once I get over my writer's block.. … so anyway, if you read this please tell me what you think. _

_AN: I don't really know if it snows in Japan that often or not.. I just wanted it to happen ._

Chapter 9

Yugi tuned away from the closed door and frowned reminiscing the conversation he had had with Honda. Was it actually possible that he loved someone besides his Yami? He shook his head; that was nonsense. His Yami had always been there for him, walked with him through the darkness and the light. Kaiba, on the other hand, had been his rival for as long as he could remember.

He continued as his footsteps echoed through the empty white tiled hallway. Kaiba was his rival; he had always been nothing more than a rival. His eyes grew wide as he grew closer to the closed glass doorway, "Could it be," he whispered, "that all this time I never really thought of Kaiba as my enemy, or even my rival, but as someone I truly cared about?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no," he stammered stepping into the dim lobby, "I guess I could always talk to Kaiba later, but-." As he placed a hand upon the cold glass of the entrance he let his jaw hand open seeing a white spot fall from the dark sky high above.

He smiled, "So it really did snow," he said opening the door as he stepped past them slowly. What if Kaiba was still in the parking lot? Yugi stopped; the doors slammed shut behind him. "What can I possibly say to Kaiba now?" His eyes wandered to the small flakes slowly beginning to fall from the gray clouded sky, but his attention was averted as a long black car moved slowly towards him. The headlights shone bright before his feet as the car passed him slowly. It stopped once last door was before him.

The door opened and the same small figure stepped out; its smiling face was revealed in the bright light of the headlights, "Mokuba," Yugi whispered trying his hardest to keep himself from frowning. "It was very nice of you to wait for me." He smiled wide and stepped forward expecting his reply.

"Oh," Mokuba laughed stepping back into the car, "It wasn't really my idea. It was Seto's. You see, it started raining for a few seconds, but then Seto said that it might start snowing that we should wait for you. So, you should thank Seto for it." Mokuba stopped and smiled jumping from the doorway onto the sidewalk, "In fact," he said enlacing his fingers behind his back, "Why don't you go on in. You can sit next to Seto for a while."

He smiled happily as Yugi nodded and silently stepped into the limo and sat on the seat next to Seto Kaiba, "Um, thank you, Kaiba," he said slowly as Mokuba sat beside him and closed the door.

Kaiba smiled and motioned to the driver to continue, "Yeah," he sighed taking a small brown book from the carpeted floor below his feet.

Yugi frowned turning away from Kaiba slowly. The car was dim, so why was Kaiba trying to read a book? He sighed softly and looked down; the seats were black leather and still seemed to squeak when he moved even the smallest bit. He turned to the window next to Mokuba and smiled.

The child seemed to be entranced by the sight of falling snow; he ignored the irritated looks Kaiba threw his way and continued to stare into the magnificent silhouette of falling snow. "Yugi," Mokuba whispered motioning to him to move closer.

Yugi glanced in Kaiba's direction and moved closer to Mokuba, "What is it?" he whispered noticing the distress on Mokuba's face.

"Seto talks about you," Mokuba whispered after confirming that Kaiba had not heard, "but he talks about two other people too. That makes it hard to figure out who he likes and who he doesn't like."

"_Two- others?" _Yugi thought to himself; he felt himself growing green with envy. _"Wait, wait, what am I doing?" _he thought in an attempt to calm himself, _"If there are two others maybe it's not me. Maybe I can forget about him." _

Mokuba turned to him slowly, "Yugi?" he whispered, "are you alright?" he asked leaning against the door.

Yugi nodded, "I'm fine Mokuba," he smiled in return before continuing. "Now, could you tell me who else Kaiba talks about, please? I'd like to know. Maybe I could help you figure it out."

Smiling happily Mokuba nodded after glancing in Kaiba's direction, "Ok," he whispered, "He talks about you, Ryou, and Jonouchi. I'm not sure who he talks about the most, and he doesn't make any different facial expressions when he talks about one person. So, I don't know if he likes those people or not."

"Oh," Yugi sighed, "Well, what does he say about them?" He crossed his fingers unconsciously. It was becoming clearer and clearer. He must like Kaiba; why else would he be getting these feelings?

Mokuba raised a finger to his bottom lip before squinting his eyes in thought and replying, "Well, when he talks about Jonouchi he says things like he does when he runs into Jonouchi on the streets or something. Nothing really flattering, but I have seen him say things under his breath after he says those things. Then he smiles, I think."

Yugi gave a soft gasp; he opened his mouth to respond but the words refused to come out. He let out a soft sigh and whispered, "And how about Ryou? What does he say about him?"

"Well," Mokuba began shifting in his seat, "He usually doesn't talk about him around me; it's more like he talks to himself quietly. I don't usually hear what he says." He smiled, "So, I don't know if it's good things or bad things."

"And- me?" Yugi choked out hoping Kaiba had either been ignoring them or had terrible hearing. "What does he say about me, Mokuba?"

Mokuba bit his lower lip and averted his eyes to look at the ceiling, "Well, he says good things, bad things, and sometimes things that are kind of confusing," he whispered locking his fingers behind his head and enlacing his fingers in his black hair. "Like, sometimes he'll say a bad thing then combine it with a good thing. I'm not sure if he means that in a good or bad way; that's why I say those things are confusing." He smiled in Yugi's direction, "Well, at least you have Yami," he said slightly louder.

Yugi's body froze; _"At least you have Yami," _it played in his mind repeatedly. Kaiba, why did he have to interfere? Why did this night have to come? "Why is fate so cruel," Yugi sulked down in his seat turning so that he faced forward.

He took slow breaths as the car approached the small card shop. It stopped by the small show, and Mokuba opened his door slowly, "This is where we're going to drop you off, ok, Yugi? Seto has a meeting, and I'm staying over with someone. You can walk from her right?"

Yugi nodded stepping out of the car behind Mokuba. The white specs in Mokuba's hair disappeared as he jumped back into the heat of the long limo. The door was shut as Yugi stepped away, and the car sped away out of sight.

"Well," Yugi whispered reaching into his pocket, "Grandpa did give me a key; maybe I could just stay here for the night." He turned to the shop slowly, "That would be better than having to talk to Yami about this." He sighed approaching the locked doors, "Yeah, I'm just not in the mood."

He took the small golden key from the pocket of his loose jean pants and unlocked the door cautiously. After glancing in every direction he opened the doors and stepped into the dark shop. His grandpa had bought a small couch for the shop; it wasn't comfortable, but it would have to do for tonight.

Yugi groped through the darkness in search of the couch, and after circling the room at least twice he found it against the wall. He let himself fall onto the couch and closed his eyes. If he believed hard enough sleep would come soon, and he could fly away.

…………………………………..

The table had been knocked to the side, and the sofa had been flipped completely reversed. "What the-," Bakura whispered letting Ryou slip down onto the floor.

Ryou gave a small chuckle before standing slowly, "Follow me," he whispered to Bakura, "I think I know who did this." He smiled as Bakura nodded; Ryou led Bakura down the hallway peeking past open doors into the lifeless rooms. "Here," he whispered before forcing the closed door open.

Bakura let out a howl of laughter as he turned away from the room, "Malik," he managed to get out between gasps for breath, "Marik, why in hell are you here?" He turned back to the room and held a hand over his mouth stifling another roar of laughter, "And _**why **_did it _**have**_to be on _**my**_bed?"

The two boys on the bed scrambled to find their discarded clothes that lay scattered around the room. "S- s- sorry," Malik stuttered taking his pants from the dresser, "We- we just- I knew you'd find Ryou so I decided to come back and- and Marik was near here and since it started snowing we thought we'd stay here. I'm so, so, sorry."

Marik nodded in agreement as he continued to pull his clothes on. Once he had pulled all of his clothes on his stepped toward Bakura and smiled, "I'm glad you found him, and I'm really sorry about this, Bakura, believe me." He motioned to Malik and took a step through the doorway.

Malik followed as he attempted for the third time to pull his shirt over his head, "I'm coming, I'm coming," he stuttered scrambling over the sheets, blankets, and pillows that had been thrown from the bed. "Slowly," he added slowly stepping through the door and following after Marik.

Bakura turned to Ryou as the front door slammed shut, "Funny, I was going to offer them to stay tonight." He smiled as Ryou nodded and sidestepped into the hallway. Bakura smiled to himself and placed an arm around Ryou's shoulders, "So, what should we do?" he asked following Ryou down the hallway, "I don't really feel like cleaning up this place right now. We'll have to get Malik and Marik to do it later."

Ryou nodded, "I want to do something else right now," he laughed taking one of the coats from the coat-rack next to the door. "Follow me," he said taking Bakura's hand and leading him through the doorway.

Snow had packed on the sidewalk and settled upon the grass and trees in the park. Ryou pulled Bakura along in the slowly falling snow across the street. They walked through the park swiftly; Ryou stopped as they reached the small bench upon which he had sat not too long ago. He smiled sitting in the piled snow that had gathered on the bench; he glanced up at Bakura slowly. "This is my favorite place to sit in the park," he said softly as Bakura sat by his side.

Bakura smiled slightly and kicked his feet so that the snow cleared away leaving wet grass beneath his feet. He placed an arm over the back of the bench and took Ryou's hand into his softly. "See?" he whispered as Ryou turned to him, "I can change. I will change; if that'll make you happy."

Ryou's mouth went dry, and his heart pounded. "B- B- Bakura," he whisered; he smiled and averted his eyes to the pure white ground. "I loved you even back then. I've always loved you; so, there's no need to change. I'll always love you no matter what you're like."

"Oh," Bakura sighed lifting his hand to Ryou's cheek, "even so, I'm going to be better to you. I won't hurt you anymore. I'll always be here for you; I'll show you that I really love you." He moved his thumb to stroke Ryou's cheekbone and smiled, "You know I love you, right?"

Ryou smiled as his cheeks shone crimson, "U- um- y- u- uh-," he stammered as Bakura moved closer. He closed his mouth as Bakura leaned closer and pressed his lips against his.

A shiver ran up Ryou's spine as his body grew warmer, "Bakura," he mouthed wrapping his arms around Bakura's neck as the kiss deepened. Snow fell upon their heads blending into their hair.

The snow continued to fall around them as they separated, "You know," Ryou chuckled as his cheeks shone crimson once again. "I've always wished you'd kiss me in the snow," he smiled slightly, "or the rain." He placed his hands upon Bakura's shoulder's and smiled, "So, do you know where everyone else is?"

Bakura frowned, "No," he replied, "they were helping me. I guess they must have gone home."

"And what about Jonouchi?" Ryou asked as his eyes glimmered with tears.

Bakura moved his hand from Ryou's cheek to the back of his neck, "Don't worry about them; you can worry about them later. Now, you're with me; why don't we just go back home?" He kissed Ryou's cheek softly and smiled, "We can check on everyone else later."

Ryou smiled shedding the mask of anxiety, "Alright," he said standing from the bench and letting Bakura take his hand softly, "let's just go home." He followed as Bakura took slow steps through the snow leaving footsteps behind leading from the bench across the park and back to the same house.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

_OHHHHHHH…..GOSH…. I KNEW I should have saved that scene for the ending… it SOUNDS like an ending right?? Shoot… well, what's done is done.. HEY!! I've got another idea for the end.. nevermind! Anyway, please Comment! I think this chappie was good…was it?_


	11. Chapter 10

YAY! I got done with this one kinda early.. .. I know this one is probably kinda boring, but the next one will make this one better, I promise. Well, R&R please! SEE YA! BYEBYE!!

Chapter 10

Drumming like a heartbeat echoed through the darkness; a circular spotlight shone down illuminating his figure. "Kaiba," he whispered reaching forward casting his shadow over the small lit spaces of the room.

The tall figure standing at the opposite side of the room turned his back to the boy calling his name and began a steady pace away into the darkness where he disappeared from sight.

"Kaiba," Yugi whispered once again taking a cautious step forward, "Why? I'm trying aren't I? I'm giving up everything so that I can find out what I really feel for you. So, why does it feel like you don't even know I exist? Why does it feel like I'm invisible to you?"

He rambled on as he continued taking slow steps through the darkness in search of the man who had walked away from him. He rolled his hand into a tight fist and bit his lower lip, "Why?" He whispered through clenched teeth, "Life isn't supposed to be this way. I was supposed to be happy after everything that happened. Everything was supposed to be better. So, why are things worse?"

Yugi lifted his chin and looked up into the darkness, "I don't want this; I don't want this. I want to go back; I want to _wake up!"_

With a sharp gasp Yugi pushed himself from the small sofa while in the process falling to the floor, "Ow," he whispered scrambling to sit on his knees. His eyes widened; the room had been lit and shadows fell over him. He gulped and turned slowly, "Oh," he whispered.

His grandpa stood behind him along with the one person he did not want to see, his Yami. Yugi gave a short sigh and pushed himself to his feet, "Um, hi," he said turning to his grandpa, "I, um, I got tired after I visited Honda, and I didn't feel like going home so I stopped here." He smiled nervously and let out a nervous laugh.

"Yugi," Yami said emotionlessly, "you worried everyone. Jonouchi and Tea come by to make sure you were alright. They thought you had disappeared along with Ryou."

Yugi frowned; if things had not changed this would be the part where his Yami would kneel down and hold him as tight as possible while he whispered, "I love you," repeatedly. He let out a sigh and looked up at his Yami once again. "I guess things really did change, huh?" he whispered lowering his eyes to the floor, "in just one night our relationship went from up in the clouds to down in hell." He smiled awkwardly and laughed, "This really stinks."

His grandpa glanced awkwardly from Yami to Yugi, "Well," he said stepping away, "I have to open up shop soon, so, why don't you two go back home and work this out." He smiled warmly and took slow steps away.

"Come on," Yami whispered extending a hand to Yugi, "I'm not saying I want you back yet. Now, we have somewhere to be. Bakura found Ryou, and they've been asking to speak to all of us. It seems that they have something important to say." He hesitated, "They mentioned Jonouchi."

Yugi's eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet, "Jonouchi? What did they say about him?" He stepped closer to his Yami and let his mouth fall open, "Did they find out why he's been acting so strangely?"

"I don't know," Yami said; his voice remained monotone as he continued, "they only mentioned his name. If we want to know anything else we should leave now." He turned his back to the boy and took slow steps toward the double-door, "Come on."

Yugi nodded solemnly and followed far behind his Yami. He sighed as they exited the card shop and made their way down the street. _"It wasn't supposed to happen," _Yugi screamed within his mind, _"I was supposed to be with you; not be your enemy."_

As they reached the small house they knew to be Ryou and Bakura's Yugi hesitated to enter after his Yami. What would happen now? If anyone found out about Kaiba or any of this, life could become even harder to manage.

Yugi gave a slow sigh and stepped into the house slowly. There spread out around the table each of them sat together. Ryou and Bakura sat closer than they usually would, Marik and Malik sat not far from them, Tea sat near the corner of the table, and of course Honda was nowhere to be found.

Yami took a seat next to Marik, and Yugi hesitantly took a seat next to Ryou. Yugi smiled to Ryou and said, "It's nice to finally be able to see you. We were all extremely worried about you. We searched for days." He gave Ryou another smile, "I'm glad your safe."

Ryou gave a smile in return but said nothing. Instead, he frowned feeling the tension developing between Yugi and his Yami. "Well," he said after clearing his throat and glancing in Bakura's direction, "first of all, I wanted to thank everyone for your concern for me." His face darkened as he glanced from face to face. "About Jonouchi, I hate that you have to hear it this way, but he was the one who, "kidnapped" me. I think he may be under some form of mind control, but that's just from what I've seen."

Mouths opened wide and eyes widened as he finished. Tea stood suddenly after gasping loudly, "What? Jonouchi? I- I can't believe that. How could that happen to Jonouchi? He's not that weak."

Malik averted his eyes to the floor and frowned, "Your forgetting what I did with my rod. I put him under mind control, and using it I forced him to duel against Yugi. There are other methods of mind control, and I guess someone found another method and is using it on Jonouchi for a personal reason. But, I do wonder why he kidnapped you, Ryou. Do you have any idea why someone would try to kidnap you?"

Ryou shook his head slowly, "I don't but Bakura might," he said simply without even glancing in Bakura's direction.

Malik averted his attention to Bakura who answered slowly, "A while ago, back when I was _out of control _I met some guy who told me that he was the descendant of an Egyptian tomb robber. I don't know why I believed him, but I did. I gave him any information that he asked for, but he asked the most about Ryou.

"I was surprised at how many questions he asked, but I didn't think anything about it until now. I guess I put you at risk," he said turning to Ryou slowly, "Gomen." He placed a hand on Ryou's cheek and smiled slightly, "I'll protect you from now on."

Ryou's cheeks blazed crimson; he placed a hand on Bakura's shoulder and smiled, "I know."

Malik cleared his throat, "Well," he began, "if we've had enough of that I think we might as well get out and search for Jonouchi." He took a deep breath before continuing, "He should probably be getting home soon though. What should we do, Bakura?"

Bakura pulled away from Ryou reluctantly and turned to Malik, "To wait for him and act natural would give him the impression that we still don't know what's happened."

Nodding they agreed. Ryou turned to Yugi slowly and smiled solemnly, "Yugi," he whispered, "could I talk to you privately?" he asked moving closer to him slowly.

Yugi nodded and stood as Ryou did. They slowly made their way across the floor, down the hall, and to Ryou's room. Ryou closed the door behind him and smiled in Yugi's direction, "I have a question," he said slowly taking a step towards him. "Not that it's any of my business or anything, but did you and Yami have a fight?"

Nodding slowly Yugi took a seat on the bed in the center of the room, "Yeah, it's a long story, but shortened up Honda got hit by a car. Yami got angry because I guess I thought something that I shouldn't have. So, he pretty much won't talk to me."

Ryou let out a sigh and sat by him on the bed, "I see," he said, "So, this is about what exactly? Do you remember what you thought exactly?"

Yugi let out a sigh, "Of course I remember; I just don't even know why I thought it." He averted his gaze away from Ryou to the stainless carpet and frowned, "I thought something like, _'It feels like I don't understand anyone anymore. Not Kaiba, not Bakura, not Malik, not Honda or Jonouchi, not even Yami.' _Then I guess I thought about Kaiba, because our fight was about Kaiba and how I feel about him."

Ryou nodded, "Well," he began softly, "How _do _you feel about Kaiba?" His gaze sharpened as Yugi began to respond.

"I- I don't know," Yugi began raising a hand and placing it upon his chin, "I don't think I love him like I love Yami, but when I was in the car with him and Mokuba, Mokuba told me that Kaiba thought about me and two others. When he mentioned two others I became extremely jealous."

Ryou nodded once again, "Jealousy is a good sign though," he said leaning back and lying on the bed, "if you were jealous of those people it might be possible that you love Kaiba, or maybe you merely think you love him because Yami mentioned it."

Yugi's eyes widened as he glanced in Ryou's direction, "Maybe you're right," he whispered, "I did start thinking about Kaiba after Yami said something. Maybe It's just that I think I love him, but it's all really in my mind."

"Right," Ryou said standing from the bed slowly, "So, all you need to do is talk to Yami about it. I'm sure he'll understand. After all, he really loves you; I know he does." With a smiled Ryou opened the closed door and stepped into the hallway leaving the door half open as he made his way away from the room.

"Well, I guess I could try," Yugi whispered averting his gaze to the floor, "but that's easier said than done."

* * *

BTW: if you've ever seen death note (and liked it) (and don't mind yaoi) here's the link to my Death Note- One Shot (LXLight) It's not that good, but I liked it.. and I'm planning on changing it... Link 


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